Kismet
by charis-chan
Summary: The one when they meet at a café and they go on a date, but things don't go as planned. A series of connected moments centred in the life of our lovely ladies and how they grow as a family. Sanvers with lots, and lots, of focus on Kara. 7/112 up.
1. Kismet

First time writing in second person. Be kind! Also, first time writing for the Supergirl Fandom.

Italics means Kryptonian... just so you know.

Beta love to reinakonanofate for putting up with my silliness!

Disclaimer: Do people still use disclaimers? Either way, don't own anything here.

XxXxX

It takes you too long to actually say yes.

You've seen her around campus ever since you transferred to Gotham University.

After the accident you needed to be far from home and they had offered you a full scholarship and financial help – sometimes your research and reputation comes in handy – and you couldn't say no, not after what happened, not after _it_.

Every way you've looked she's there, in all her dimpled glory. You don't share any classes, but the school is notorious for its exclusivity and specialties, and its housing is familial enough you see her almost daily.

You see her in the library. You see her at lunch rush in the café you fall in love with almost immediately. You see her in the gym at dawn, working out and killing the treadmill. You see her in the quad, relaxing with friends when you're running late. You see her in those odd moments you let yourself go grab a beer.

She's everywhere.

And she sees you too.

You notice her eyes, following you. You've been recipient of her full smile more than once when you stumble on you own feet after a brief smirk. You feel her stare, even before you spot her in the crowd. You know she sees you and she wants you. But you can't. Not now.

But, she's insistent.

After three months of seeing each other around, she pays for your coffee. She comes to you in the café and simply sit with two cups of black, strong coffee in her hands. She tells you her name ( _Maggie Sawyer, Criminal and Political Science, and you are?_ ) and you two hit it off. She's funny, she's strong, she's tiny, she's intelligent, she's witty, she's quick on her feet, she's sarcastic… she's beautiful.

A month of shared early coffee talks in, she asks you out ( _Wanna go grab a beer or something on Friday?_ ).

You say no ( _I'm sorry, I can't_ ).

She smiles ( _Next time, then?_ )

You look down to your watch, _his_ watch, and ignore her question ( _I'm late for class, see ya later_ ).

But she doesn't give up. Every time she sits with you, she asks. And every time, you say no.

She never questions you, she's amazing like that, but she keeps insisting, she keeps being so sweet and nice. She keeps seeing you want to say yes, but can't. She keeps asking.

Until you cave.

Until you listen to that part of you that's been silent for little more than a year, and say yes.

Until you decide to put yourself first, if only for a little bit.

If only for a few hours.

You say yes and arrange everything so you can enjoy your time with her. She picks you up outside your building and takes you to a cosy little restaurant you've never been in before. The light is low enough to make it so like you're alone in the place with just Maggie, just Maggie and her smile. The food is amazing and you've never feel more at ease with anybody else and, for a second, you forget what you left behind.

For a second, you can imagine a bright future. A future where destiny doesn't cast you a shitty hand and where you can be happy, free of worries, your family at your side and this woman making it even more special, even more real, even more beautiful.

But, then, when hours have passed and you're starting on your second helping of that amazing chocolate mousse, reality comes knocking, and hard.

XxXxX

A shrill noise startle you, making you jump and for a second forgetting where you are.

"I think is your phone," Maggie says with a smile in her face, as she eyes the device dance around the table. You know its poor manners to place your phone on the table when you're eating with someone, but you also want to have it on hand if something happens. And now you panic.

You panic, because, yes, it's your phone ringing, and not many have your number and if it's ringing, then something happened. Something _happened._

You pick your phone without even glancing at Maggie and answer, the fear evident in your voice, "Danvers."

The first thing you hear are the cries, distant but at the same time loud enough to know they're heart-breaking and desperate. " _Alex. She woke up and she's hysterical. She's asking for you."_

Your heart sinks, because it's been months since this last happened. "Nightmare?" you ask without preamble.

" _I think so, but she wouldn't tell me anything._ "

You close your eyes. She never wants to speak after one of her night terrors and you know it's time to cut short your date. "I'm on my way," you inform her and disconnect the call before waiting for a response.

You turn to Maggie, but don't meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, I need to go," you say as you rise from your chair. You know the disappointment that must be on her face, it wouldn't be the first time you saw it, but it's the first time you regret being the one to put it in such a lovely face. "I had fun, but I don't think we'll do this again."

You're ready for the anger to come next. Like the disappointment, it wouldn't be the first time someone you're on a date with gets angry at you for your erratic behaviour. But then, another chair is scrapping the floor and suddenly Maggie is behind you, helping you with your jacket, sure hands helping your trembling ones.

"Let me settle the check and I'll drive you," she informs you.

"I can take a taxi, Maggie. You don-"

She cuts your protests with a swift finger to your lips, a small, worrying frown marring her face. "Gimme a moment, Danvers. It'll be faster than a taxi, I promise. You'll be with her shortly."

You nod, dumbly, because in your panic you didn't noticed that you put the phone was on speaker and now many pitying eyes are on you and Maggie is back before you can actually be embarrassed and you're out the restaurant in a rush.

"Where to?" Maggie asks the moment she brings the car to life.

You give her the address, not far from your apartment, without thinking. You're still in shock that Maggie (and most of the restaurant) heard your conversation. You're still in shock that after months her nightmares are back. You're still in shock this woman, all wit and sarcasm and indifference, have grown so concerned so suddenly. You're still in shock she have heard the cries and haven't run, and instead, have chosen help.

You're still in shock at how amazing this woman really is.

XxXxX

You arrive quickly at the house. The lights on the first floor are on and the door opens as soon as you're out the car.

"Alex," your best friend greets you with a relieved sigh. The cries inside the house are still going strong. "I'm so sorry you had to interrupt your date," she adds as she looks pass your shoulder.

You smile a little when you see from the corner of your eye how Maggie is just a step being you. "It's okay," you tell her as she lets you both in. "I'm sorry she woke you, Susan."

Susan shakes her head. "We were watching Lilo & Stich and she fell asleep early. I was just catching up with some reading."

The tell-tale of running feet is the only thing that warns you before a body slams into you. You catch the girl as she hugs your middle, her sobs almost instantly quieting. "Lexie," she whimpers.

You bend a little and scoop her into your arms. She's too old to be carried around, but she's still small enough and light enough you can manage. "I'm here, baby. I'm here. Nothing happened. I'm here," you soothe her as you start pacing around, rocking her, just like you did when she was a small kid, just like you started doing again after the accident.

"Lexie…" she whimpers again. "Lexie…"

"Shh, Kara. Everything is okay. You're okay. I'm okay."

Kara quietens after that, her small frame starting to hiccup as she tries to lower her racing heart. You hum an old lullaby into her hair, her face hidden in the crook of your neck as you keep pacing, keep rocking her.

"Um, I'm Maggie," you heard your awkward date murmur to Susan.

You can also hear the smirk on your best friend. "I know," she informs Maggie. "Alex doesn't shut up about you."

Kara and her still going tears are the only thing that stops you from hitting Susan. Kara was fond of your friend and she wouldn't forgive you if you hurt her in any way… it'll have to wait until Kara is in school and you and Susan are alone so you can beat her up.

"Really?" Maggie asks, and even with your back turned, you can _see_ the hope in her eyes.

"Really," Susan says, growing serious suddenly. "She really likes you. And I think Kara will too."

Everything is quiet then. Kara is asleep in your arms and when you face the other two adults, Maggie has a sombre look to her.

Your heart sinks for the second time that night.

XxXxX

"She's not mine," you explain. You feel you own her the truth after this night. Maggie had insisted on driving you both home and Kara was now peacefully sleeping in the backseat and you two were simply sitting there, the car already parked near your building. "I was sixteen when she came live with us. She had just seen her parents die in an explosion. It's a miracle she survived. Her parents and mine were close and it was a no brainer when they adopted her. She was three."

Maggie scowls. "That sucks."

Your lips turn up a little, it's as close to a smile as you can manage at the moment as you turn to watch your baby sister sleeping. "It really does." Your face falls a moment later. "I loved her the moment I saw her. She used to have nightmares then, too…" You trail off as you contemplate the most important person in your life.

"So, she's visiting and remembered bad times?" Maggie asks softly, after a long stretch of time.

You shake your head and you can feel the tears stinging in your eyes. "Last winter… she was in the car with my parents. A truck hit them and sent them over a cliff… It's the second time she survives a tragedy."

Maggie gently put a hand over yours and squeezed, barely. "… and your parents?"

A tear runs down your cheek. You don't bother to brush it off. "Mom died on impact. Dad took a week in the hospital. Kara got a broken arm and bruised ribs, nothing mayor, but it was the second time she sees something so terrible. She's still putting herself back together."

"I'm sorry."

You just nod. There's nothing you can do put to keep going. There're no words in the world to make it better.

"Why didn't you tell me?" There's no accusation from Maggie, but you can tell she's trying not to spook you, to make you feel worse than you at the moment.

You shrug. It's not that you don't care, rather, you want her to think it's not a great deal, even when it is, more so after Maggie has shown you how caring she is. "When I was younger Kara used to annoy me by calling me Mama when someone showed any interest in me. Many knew of her being my sister, but others, they believed her. All of those backed off after that."

Maggie hides a snort behind her unoccupied hand. "So, she's a little shit," she states with a smile.

You echo her snort. "Yes, she is."

"And you thought I'll back off?" It's not a question, and you both know it.

You shrug again, there's no need to deny or confirm it. "I should probably get her into bed. If I'm lucky she'll sleep in tomorrow." You turn and face Maggie for the first time since diner. "Thank you so much, Maggie," you tell her from the bottom of your heart. "Thank you."

Maggie's smile is soft when she answers. "Maybe you can make it up to me?" she asks and before you can be suspicious, she continues. "Let me take you both to the park this weekend. I need someone to play ball with me and I know you hate the game. Maybe I can corrupt the littlest Danvers."

You smile, and for the first time in a really long, long time, you can feel it reaching your eyes.

Maybe that bright future is not so impossible after all.


	2. Fate

I own nothing.

XxXxX

There are several things you never questioned.

You never questioned why there were times you came home and there was nobody to welcome you. You never questioned why, sometimes, you'd be woken in the middle of the night to be dropped off at your gran's. You never questioned why your toys were more tools than dolls. You never questioned why you were never taken to the park, but you the Science Museum's room by heart. You never questioned when you summers were spent abroad, learning and never playing.

And now, you don't question when your parents call you home, because there has been a family emergency with your cousin and you need to take a gap year, no matter you are already in your second year of pre-med school and _finally_ taking some engineering classes on the side. You don't question it, because you know your family has secrets no one knows about and you also know that if they said _cousin_ , then it doesn't actually involve your family… you don't have a cousin.

Cousin only means that he is back and that he needs another favour. And this time, it somehow means that you're required to help, even when you haven't seen your now labelled cousin in years.

You met him when you were a young child. He was tall, taller than you by at least two heads and his icy blue eyes shone with something you couldn't really understand… they still do and it makes your heart sink. He spoke a strange language you didn't understand and he was so sad you made it your mission to make him laugh, to play with him and to be the best little sister you could be.

He stayed with your family for about a year before he was taken back by the people who found him, an oldish couple that was nice and always saved you some cookies when you visited, even when your self-proclaimed brother was able to eat the whole batch by himself and often did so without regret. In that year you learnt his language, and his rituals. You learnt his ways and his culture. You learnt his history and music. And you learnt what your parents really did for a living… still do for a living.

Now, looking back, you also came to understand why all your life has been moulded to make you the perfect, crazy, little scientist.

You were young, still wide eyed and in awe of everything. For that year your brother was your world, you dedicated yourself to him and he was kind to you in return. You helped him cope, you helped him forget, or so he said, and so he paid attention to you just the way you discovered you liked the most: he played with you. Not read to you, not teach you science, not scold you. Play. Easy and simple. He played with you.

And you loved him for it. Even after he went away, you loved him. You still do.

So, if he needs anything, if he's in trouble, you'll help him. Even though he's become so engrossed in his life that he has no time to call anymore. Even when, the last time you visited him, he ridiculed you in front of his friends ( _She's just a kid I used to babysat)_. Even after he's become a stupid, big-headed 'saviour', who'd rather not been seen with you anymore, even in disguise. Even after his fame had gotten to him and he's become more a bully than hero.

You at least love the memory of him. You owe it to that awkward preteen that came crashing in your life when you were too short to reach the doorbell.

You at least owe him that.

XxXxX

"Mom? Dad?" you ask as you enter the home you grew in. It hadn't changed a bit in the year you've been away. You doubt your parents have been in it often enough to change anything.

You reach the kitchen after leaving your suitcases in the living room, you'll put them in your room later. You scan the area, it's empty but there's a small note on the fridge. ' _Alex, as soon as you're home, go to the basement.'_

You snort, because of course you parents are in the basement. When they are home they are always in the basement.

And of course they left you a note. That's the way they communicated better, via note pinned to the fridge.

You open the basement door before suddenly pausing, because, somehow, the heavy wood had blocked the sound that now you can hear coming from downstairs: a baby's crying.

"Mom? Dad?" you ask again as you rush downstairs. The place is dark, even with the light on and it's difficult for you to see where the noise is coming from. You can't see your parents, or Clark, but the crying, you are certain, is from a very small child. "Anybody?"

The crying stops for a moment, long enough for the silence to feel deafening, before resuming, this time quieter, this time, you can almost feel it, more tired.

You stop then, because it's obvious now that you're alone with the baby, a baby you have yet to find. You take a deep breath, close your eyes, and try to find the noise, try to pinpoint where the pitiful whimpers are coming from.

Your eyes snap open and you immediately look up, because, yes, your ears didn't lie to you: the crying is coming from the ceiling, and yes, there's a baby lying flat against a wooden beam, their long hair hanging lose and their red eyes are looking at you with so much fear that it almost make you sick. Their puffy, blue eyes, that are the same shade of you so called cousin.

And the only thing you can muster is: "Oh, fuck."

XxXxX

It takes you little time to notice the girl can't understand you. Yes, she's a girl, you can see that now. You were so shocked at the familiar eyes that you overlooked that little detail.

She can't understand you, but she's also calmed down enough for her to float back down… right into your arms.

Having her so close, you notice that she's no baby, if your biology lessons have any say in this. She's rather a small sized infant. Given the teeth she showed you when she yawned into your face earlier, you'd say she's at way past two… given that she's currently eating her weight in apples, she's definitely your _cousin's_ kin.

You cannot believe the asshole was so stupid as to knock a poor girl up. The bastard is so inconsiderate that probably he has known of the girl since the beginning and just now he was forced to take care of her. The stupid man you once thought of a brother is such a dickhead you can see him having more than one little cutie at the moment. The girl is adorable and you cannot believe she has the misfortune of having such a worthless father.

You watch the girl eat, a happy grin to her face. She's taken to you quickly and you wonder why she was crying in the first place. She's not scared of you. She seems to like you if her constant looking at your direction is anything to go by. She's even cooed at you twice now, once when she floated into your arms and once when you took her upstairs to the kitchen and she saw the apples… apples that now you notice are plenty of and you wonder how long the child has been staying with your parents, the quantity of food in the kitchen seems to imply that she's been around for some time now.

Or maybe your darling _cousin_ has been staying over before the kid arrived…

Either way, you are hungry after six hours in a plane and need to eat something too. You fear for your hand if you reach for an apple, so you simply grab a discarded orange and started peeling it. They are not your favourite, but they are juicy and you're too lazy and puzzled to try put anything together.

The girl stops her eating when you are halfway your orange. She's looking at it with curious eyes and you can see her little nose twitching slightly. You smile. If the girl flies like her father, then she surely has more of his powers, sense of smell and appetite included.

You tear a segment of it and, after making sure the seeds are taken out, offer it to the kid. "Orange," you state plainly.

The girl looks at the fruit, then at your eyes, then back at the fruit. She reached for it and grabs it in her tiny hand. She put it near her nose and sniff deeply, then, maybe finding something she likes, put it in her mouth in a swift motion. The smile she graces you with can rival with the sun's brightness.

"O'ange," she says after she swallows and open her tiny palm for more.

You snort, because, of course, the girl likes oranges as she likes apples. You quickly take the seed out every segments before passing them on, making the girl coo at you again. "Orange," you repeat.

"O'ange."

"Apple," you say next, when the girl has finished the only orange in the kitchen, handing her a red delicious.

The girl's nose wrinkles as she again switches her gaze from the apple to your eyes, contemplating. She shakes her head, "Iahr," she informs you plainly, taking the offered fruit.

And, for the second time in less than an hour, you can only say: "Oh, fuck."

XxXxX

" _My name is Alex,_ " you tell the girl once she's full of fruit and it's just sitting quietly on the kitchen floor. Thanks to her comment, you know the reason she can't understand you. She speaks Kryptonian and that only make things more confusing. How is that Clark's kid knows a death language? As far as you know, the only people that speak it are Clark and you, not even your parents had bothered to learn beyond the basics when you were younger.

The kid looks up at you and beams and something inside you breaks a little. Her eyes shine with happiness and something you can't quiet decipher. " _'lo, 'lex_ " she says _,_ her smile never leaving.

You frown a little, the kid speaks Kryptonian, but she still speaks like a little kid and it's hard for you to really follow. " _What's your name?_ " you ask her next, sure she understands, but weary she's too young to tell you anything of value.

" _'_ _M Kara!"_ she announces proudly.

" _Hello, Kara_ ," you say softly. " _Are you still hungry?_ "

The girl, Kara, shakes her head. " _Me full."_

You echo her smile. She's young, yes, but she's not so young she can't have a simple conversation with you. " _Do you know where my parents are? The people that live in this house?"_

" _Leaved!"_

It's your turn to shake your head. Of course they are not around and they left a defenceless kid alone. They are probably fretting over Clark and his many issues. It's good he was placed in a house far from yours, you think, because if he had grown besides you your chances of survival would have been low… not only does he eat for four, he more often than not is the sole focus of your parents and you wonder what could have happen if he stuck around. You shrug mentally. It never happened and now it was too late to regret loving the boy you considered your big brother.

You guess there's nothing you can do. They have to come back at some point.

" _Doll?_ " Kara asks you when it's obvious you don't know what else to say.

You grimace, because, well, you can't even remember if you ever had a doll once. " _Sorry, baby,"_ you call her the only Kryptonian pet name you know, trying to soften the blow. " _I don't have any._ "

Her face falls a little, she looks up to you, her blue eyes glistening with her disappointment. " _Stowy?"_

You grimace and her big eyes start leaking a little. You bend down to scoop her onto your arms again before she can start crying in earnest and start rocking her. " _Easy, baby, I'll tell you some._ " You don't have any children books, but you think you can actually invent something on the go.

You're a certified genius.

You can spin a tale to entertain a little kid anytime.

XxXxX

Noise from downstairs wakes you up. For a moment, you don't know where you are and the weight on your chest startles you. But, as you blink the sleep away, you notice the soft, blonde hair that's stuck to your lips and the small snores that tells you Kara is still asleep even after the crash you heard. The girl is lying on you and you've never seen a sight cuter than the small kid sucking her thumb with such a peaceful air to her, trusting you completely and making your heart ache.

"Alex?" Your name is called and you wince when Kara stirs a little, her nose wrinkling and her pale lips moving ever so gently against the skin of her thumb. You're lying down on your childhood bed and the room its dark. How long have you been sleep?

You transfer Kara gently to the bed and, after making sure there are enough pillows to prevent her rolling off, you make your way downstairs.

"Mom," you call as soon as you see her in the kitchen, unpacking the several grocery bags your dad looks to be taking into the house.

"Alex," your mom goes to you and embraces you. "You're thinner," she points out and you sigh. Of course the first thing out your mom's mouth is something like that.

"Where's Clark?" You decide to go to the point. If you let your parents dictate the conversation you'll be stuck in their critics for hours.

Your dad chuckles, of course he does. He always does when he thinks you're being too impatient. "Clark is downstairs, Bug, he's keeping company the new addition to our family."

You roll your eyes, because, _of course_ , he was supposed to be watching Kara. "He wasn't there when I got home," you inform them. "Kara was alone and crying. He left her alone," you tattle on him because, why not. It's not like they are going to register what you just said.

"He's gone?" your mom asks as your dad goes out again, maybe to fetch more bags. She hums, "maybe he had an emergency."

"He left Kara alone," you point out, again.

"So you met her," your mom goes back to the groceries. "She doesn't like us and she cries all the time." You mom sigh. "She's not a quiet kid, like you were."

You furrow your brow. The girl is amazingly well behaved. But that's not important. You need to know what's happening. "She's Clark's?"

Your dad laughs as he enters the kitchen and your mom glares at you. "Of course not, Alexandra!" she yells at you. "How can you possibly think that?!"

You shrug. "She has his eyes," you tell her calmly. Her yelling at you is not new, but you would be lying if you say you miss it. Now you remember why you chose to stay away during summer and winter break… your mom hasn't changed.

"No, Bug," your dad says before you mom can keep yelling. "She's his cousin, the one he always talks about, the one that was sent to Earth with him, but never arrived."

The cousin he _always talks about_ … now that's a lie, because if he ever talked about any cousin, you'd remember. You remember almost everything he ever taught or told you. He never mentioned a cousin. "Right," you say, because contradicting them, questioning them, never got you anywhere. "She's staying, then?" you ask, because so far the only thing you've learnt is that Clark is not to be trusted with small kids. You'll learn about her past as the days go by, you know that. That's how things work in this house. That's how it's always been and you know by now that it'll never change.

"Yes, Alexandra," your mother says, exasperated, just like when you were a child yourself and asked one too many questions. "You're an older sister now, you need to take care of her."

You nod. You know how it's to be your parent's daughter and you swear, then and there, to always look out for Kara. She deserves better than you had growing up. She deserves better than a couple of forgetful, workaholic parents. She deserves better than a disinterested cousin. She deserves better than people who overlook that your planet, your family, is gone.

She deserves the stars and you plan on giving her just that.

XxXxX

The second time you are pulled out from sleep in the span of hours is when a little form suddenly crawls up to you, tears in her eyes and a sob on her throat.

You've gone to retrieve her as soon as your parents confirmed they already have her papers sorted and you've noticed how she was crying in her sleep. You woke her and took her into your arms and then you'd spent the rest of the late evening making up stories in which the heroine was a little blue-eyed, blonde, flying all around and making people smile.

You've gone to sleep with her, pressing your bed against the wall and making sure she was tucked in before you let the events of the day catch up with you. You've been asleep for maybe an hour before her little voice calls you.

"Lexie," she whimpered as she botches up your name, crawling near your face. "Lexie."

You sitting up in an instant, pulling the girl into your lap. "Shh, Kara," you breathe out her name, " _I'm here. Everything is okay. You're okay."_ You can't imagine how scared she is if she, like Clark, saw her planet go. You can't imagine if she, like Clark, was aware of what she left behind. You can't phantom if she, like Clark, was stuck for a while in the Phantom Zone… you can't imagine her suffer that much.

"Lexie," she whimpers again as tears start running down her cheeks and she hides her face in your chest.

" _Shh, baby, shh. You're safe. I'll always keep you safe."_

 _"_ _P-pwomise?"_ she asks, her words muffled, and your heart breaks at how frightened she sounds.

" _I promise, Kara. Always."_

XxXxX

Years later, you look back and see that, while you couldn't always be there for her physically, you were always with her in the ways that mattered. You see that she grew loved and cared for.

By you.

You devoted your life to her and she flourished to be the small ball of sunshine she was meant to be.

You couldn't give her the stars, but you came damn close.

XxXxX

 **A/N:** Prompts are welcome. You can follow me in tumblr at charis-chan.


	3. Gemstone

**Still don't own Supergirl.**

 **Hope you like :D**

Gemstone (AKA Park I)

"Maggie's almost here, put on your shoes," you tell her as you busy yourself with packing her backpack. She might be almost eleven, but the amount of stuff you need to take with you on outings is more or less the same as when she was a toddler. Food, a change of clothes, food, a book (for you), food, a brand new Frisbee, food… okay, so mostly it's food, but your baby girl eats more than you and she gets cranky when hungry and you've grown used to make sure she's always fed. It's prevented more than one epic tantrum.

" _I don't wanna go,_ " Kara tells you from her spot on the couch. The TV's on and her hands are playing with her stuffed dog, Krypto, but she refuses to look at you.

You pause midway peeling an orange and sigh because you've already talked to her about this. She's not too thrilled, but she's accepted that there's a new person in your life and that you're excited for her to meet Maggie. " _Kara,_ " you answer her back in her language. You both speak Kryptonian in your home, partly because the language helped Kara feel more comfortable in your new apartment and partly because you believe she shouldn't forget her roots. " _You said you're okay with this."_

 _"_ _I lied,"_ she tells you in a tiny voice that tells you it's not time to be irritated with her. Right now she's not being difficult, like that one time she had a fake melt down on the store when you refused to get her more ice-cream, or the time she literally dropped on the floor, boneless, and cried and kicked for an hour when you told her that, no, you were not buying her a PlayStation.

Right now, she's being honestly upset and that scares you.

You leave your halfway peeled orange and go to sit next to her, turning the TV off and stilling her nervous hands. " _Baby, look at me,"_ you urge her softly. When shy, hesitant eyes look up, you smile encouragingly. " _Talk to me, baby."_

She shakes her head, but climbs onto your lap. " _You'll be mad,_ " she hides her face in the crook of your neck and you can feel it when she starts sucking her thumb.

You hate it when she starts sucking her thumb. She only does that when she's too stressed or too scared. Not even when she's sad she sucks her thumb. She must be really freaked out. " _Oh, baby. Please, tell me what's wrong."_

 _"_ _Dou'd be ma'," s_ he repeats, her words slurred around her thumb.

" _No, Kara. I promise I won't be mad,"_ you tell her seriously. You push her away just enough to force her to face you, holding her hand gently and taking her thumb away. You rise her tiny hand to your mouth and kiss her palm. You once helped her break the habit and you'll help her again. " _Just talk to me."_

She stills, not meeting your eyes, but rather focusing on the blue gemstone that hangs from the chain you always wear and it's on display thanks to the tank top and open flannel you're wearing. You've never take it off ever since people started commenting on the gemstone that hangs on Kara's own chain. People started saying such a little kid couldn't wear such expensive looking jewellery and your parents were getting paranoid and tried to take it away. And, how could you allow them to take away the only thing Kara has left of her mother? So, you started wearing a replica of it and made it your duty to inform every person that ever noticed Kara's gemstone that it was just your matching sisters' necklaces. No one ever questioned it again. _"… what if she doesn't like you anymore, after meeting me?"_ she asks after a minute.

" _Oh, Kara…"_ you sigh as you cuddle the kid closer to your chest. " _Maggie's not like that,"_ you assure her. " _She wants to meet you. She's pretty excited to meet the 'little angel'. Her words, not mine."_ Kara knows you've been dating Maggie for a month now. She also knows that your dates always finish before she's out of school or that they happen when Susan is available to babysit her. She also knows that, when she's with Susan, you always go pick her up before its bed time. But, she's also aware that Maggie is never with you when you pick her up. And maybe you were wrong and having Maggie around for those times would've been better than asking her to give you and Kara time and wait for a proper introduction. Kara now thinks Maggie doesn't like her when that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Kara clutches your gemstone as she nuzzle the point where your neck meets the shoulder. " _People don't like you when I'm around,"_ she reminds you in a tiny voice.

You smile. " _That's because you like to tell people I'm your mom… you scare them away."_

She tenses and you don't need to see her to know she's frowning. She burrows deeper into you and mumble something.

" _Sorry, baby, I didn't hear you."_

She turns her head just enough for you to hear her murmur, _"you're my mom."_

You sigh, because for as long as you can remember, or rather, for as long as she could muster whole, coherent, sentences, she's been trying to convince you to be her mom. It's not like you don't love her as if she were your own, but rather, you're too young to be labelled as a mother, you were too young when she first asked. And now that you're her legal guardian, you're scared the State would, somehow, find a way to take her away. It's safer to be her sister. Somehow, legally, it's easier to keep her if she's just your baby sister.

A little ping from your phone interrupts anything you could tell her. You reach for it from where you left in on the coffee table and read Maggie's text:

 _'_ _5 min away. Should I park da car?'_

You text her back, quickly, choosing to ignore how Kara shrugs into herself and goes back to sucking her thumb:

' _Pls. brt.'_

 _"_ _Kara,"_ you say as you put the phone away. " _Maggie is different. She really wants to meet you, but she'll also understand if you want to wait. Neither of us will force you to do anything you're not comfortable with."_

Kara looks up, her thumb firmly in her mouth. " _Dou 'ike he',"_ she states.

You nod. " _Yes, I like her. Very much."_

Her nose wrinkles and you're transported back to when she was a baby. She's giving you the same look she did when you woke her up, back when you discovered she's bubbly, but at the same time, too sleepy to function in the mornings. It's a look between puzzlement and determination and you love her just a little more just for it.

She takes her thumb out her mouth and ask you plainly, "can I wear my dampener?"

And that's when you know she's near the point where she will have a real to Rao meltdown. Not only has she asked you in English to make sure you listen, she knows, as certainly as she knows the Sun gives her powers, that you hate the dampener and you only let her use it when she needs to go to the doctor or when she's too emotional to control herself. You hate it because your mother made it for when she became tired of teaching Kara to use her powers. You hate it because she was forced to use it to go to school, when she lived with your parents. You hate it because it made it more difficult for Kara to control herself after wearing it. You hate it because in a good day, it'll make Kara tire quickly, but in a bad day, she'll become very ill.

Yet, above all, you hate it because it's a reminder of how close you came to lose your little sun; Kara was wearing the damn thing when your parents' car crashed over the cliff and its effects made it so for Kara to be truly hurt. The only reason she survived was because the paramedic took the bracelet away to treat her broken arm and the Sun had done its magic. But it had been too close. Way too close.

"Kara…"

"Please, Alex," she says in earnest. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Please."

And you close your eyes. And you let out a very big sigh. Because if there's something that truly frightens Kara is the thought of hurting people, of hurting you. "Fine," you relent as you open your eyes. "But if you feel ill, you'll take it off immediately and we'll be coming straight home."

She nods back at you and scurries off your lap, no doubt going to your room to retrieve the lead box that contains the bracelet your mother made. It's made of white gold, just like your chains, and have little blue stones mixed with green ones all around. One of those green ones it's a little piece of Kryptonite and you hate that your mother took the time to make something so hurtful so beautiful. She wanted it to match Kara's necklace to avoid a repeat of the town's comment on her expensive jewellery.

Your phones pings again and you get up from the couch without looking at it. You know its Maggie. You head to the kitchen and grab the backpack, quickly looking in it to make sure you have everything to last an early afternoon in the park. Kara comes out your room, the small box in her hands and passes it to you. You have the standing rule that only you can open the box and only you can put the bracelet on her wrist. She can take it off whenever she wants and she'll be the one carrying the empty box so she can storage it again when she does. But opening the box, making her weak, it's something only you allow yourself to do.

You fear she'd want to try to use the dampener most of the day. You fear she might want to hurt herself. You fear something going wrong and your baby suffering from it.

You take the box and open it wearily. The change in your girl is almost immediate, her posture stiffens, just a little. "Kara, are you sure?"

She looks up at you determination clear in her eyes. "Yes."

And you sigh yet again and put the bracelet around her wrist. One day, you promise yourself, you'll get rid of that thing. Sadly, today's not that day.

XxXxX

Maggie's waiting for you both a block away. Her beaten up sedan is parked near the bakery Kara loves and it should come to no surprise to you that Maggie is leaning against it, a small box of Kara's favourite doughnuts in one hand and her phone in the other. She's looking intently at the tiny screen and you smile, because, even when it's not noticeable, you know she's nervous about this meeting.

Kara is walking beside you, her tiny hand firmly clasped in one of your own. Another rule you have when it comes to damper time: she can't let go of your hand. You need to be sure where she is. You need to be sure she's safe. You need to be sure nothing will harm her.

"Hey, Sawyer," you greet her and smile when she startles enough to almost drop the box.

"Danvers," she greets you with a huge smile. She looks at you with her shiny eyes before they drift downwards to your sister. "Hello, Little Danvers."

Kara presses to your legs, half hiding behind you. Her free hand reaches for her mouth, but, knowing you are looking at her from the corner of your eyes, she instead grabs her gemstone nervously. "Hello," she says without prompting. If anything, she's polite even when she's terrified.

Maggie lets the box of doughnuts on her car's hood and bends a little to be more to your sister's height. "Alex says your name is Kara. That's a beautiful name," she tells her. "I'm Maggie," she adds with her beaming smile, cheeks full of dimples and a stretched hand.

Kara looks up at you, questioning and you squeeze her hand in support. You won't force her to touch Maggie. You know Kara is not always comfortable touching people and you'll respect that. Maggie knows it too, so she doesn't let her smile fall and waits. Kara looks at Maggie again and lets go of your hand and reaches for Maggie's.

"I like Maggie, too," she tells her as she lets your girlfriend shake her hand and you have to reign in your laugh at how serious your baby sister looks. You know for the last three months or so Kara has been all about a new cartoon which protagonist it's a fly named Maggie. The backpack you're carrying have the pink haired fly on it and you wonder when you'll bring up that fact to your girlfriend. Been compared to a fly it's not flattering and the look you can imagine on Maggie's face it's hilarious.

Seeing your baby girl touching Maggie, though, makes your heart soar.

"Your sister also told me you really like doughnuts," Maggie says as she lets go of her hand, allowing Kara to grab yours again. "So, I bought you some for our picnic."

At the word picnic Kara brightens and Maggie smirks at you and you can't help but feel warmness spread in your chest.

XxXxX

Arriving to the park is no easy feat.

Maggie decided you needed to go to Grant Park, which is maybe half an hour drive away without any traffic. Robinson Park is nearer and that's where you thought you were headed, but Maggie swears Grant Park's hot dogs are the best and the grass it's the best kept in the whole city. So, of course, because it's the first time she gets to meet Kara officially, she wants the girl to have the best experience when it comes to parks.

What Maggie hadn't counted on, was Kara's well rooted fear of cars. Or, rather, her fear of long drives.

You've made it so you and Kara can do everything on foot. You live near Dixon Docks and that's just a quick twenty minute walk away from Gotham University and Kara's Middle School it's practically a corner down your building. It may not be the best neighbourhood, on some clear nights you can see Arkham's lights from your living room windows, but it's close to school and Kara can have enough freedom to go to school and to the store alone.

So, you don't own a car. You used to have a bike, but once you transferred to GU, you sold it and somehow, you forgot to tell Maggie that Kara is still weary of most types of vehicles.

Still, your girl puts on a brave face and climbs into the car when Maggie prompts her to. She gets to sit next her box of doughnuts, all stiff and nervous, but with a determined look to her that you see every time she wants to prove you she is fine, she is managing. Once Maggie has closed the door, she turns to you, ever so perceptive.

"Is she going to be alright in the car?" she asks you.

You look through the window and notice how Kara is hugging her backpack to her chest, one hand playing with her gemstone and one thumb caressing her lower lip. "I hope so," you tell her honestly. You look at your girlfriend and close the distance to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you for doing this, it means a lot."

Maggie rolls her eyes and pulls you close by the lapel of you open flannel. She kisses you, slow and gentle. Once she lets you go, she says, "she's so sweet, Alex. You don't need to worry. I'll make sure she has an amazing day."

You smile and, after another quick kiss, you climb into the passenger seat and let Maggie drive you across the city.

You both make idle chat and let Kara be in her own bubble. You sit so you can keep an eye on Kara and you notice through the drive that Maggie kept looking at the rear-view mirror constantly, making sure Kara is still comfortable. Maggie had put a blanket and a couple of pillows in the backseat you hadn't noticed right away and Kara spends the drive absent-mindedly playing with a pillow, the blanket over her lap, her eyes closed and her thumb firmly in her mouth.

Neither Maggie nor you try to engaged her in conversation and you feel so grateful when Maggie would look at Kara and then at you with a soft smile and sad eyes.

Once you reach the Park and Maggie turns off the engine you can almost feel the tension melt away from Kara's body. Your girlfriend is the first out and she goes to the trunk to retrieve whatever she has packed. You, on the other hand, go immediately to Kara.

Opening the door, you look at blue, tired, eyes and reach to tuck an errant blonde lock behind her ear. "Are you okay?" you whisper to her, well aware she's too stubborn and proud to let Maggie hear you ask.

She nods, but she reaches to you with her free hand.

You do the only thing you know will make things a little better, you take her into your arms and cradle her to you. Her free arm goes to sneak around your neck as she hides her face in your shoulder. She shivers once, twice, before letting her body slump, making you carry her boneless weight.

" _I'm so proud of you,"_ you murmur against her hair, dropping a kiss there. _"You were so brave. I love you so much."_

You hear the wet pop her thumb makes when she takes it out, her moist hand going to your gemstone. " _If I hadn't…"_ she trails off.

You understand her, even when she's unable to voice her fear. " _If you hadn't,"_ you tell her softly, " _I'd be so proud of you. Just you sitting on the car was so brave. You've been so brave so far. I love you."_ You kiss her again. _"I love you so much."_

You can see Maggie has everything ready and you smile when she picks Kara's backpack without prompting, letting you carry your sister and the box of doughnuts. You can already tell neither Maggie nor you will taste a bite of them.

But you smile anyway, because you can feel Kara relaxing against you and you know Maggie is besides you, warm and constant.

Helpful and solid.

Open and understanding.

And, even when Kara hasn't really spoken to Maggie, you know your sister. And you know she's opening up to her. You know she's open for you to try and be with Maggie. You know Kara sees how amazing Maggie can be. You know Kara will grow to love Maggie.

Just as you are growing to love her. With all your heart.

XxXxX

 **Beta love to** reinakonanofate **who's helping me write this.**

 **Come bother us at tumbrl ( charis-chan) with prompts and the like!**


	4. Ball

It takes you ten minutes of walking before Maggie decides you've arrived to the perfect spot for camping out the day. Kara's asleep in your arms and you've never been more grateful she weights so little… carrying her one armed is no small feat and you're proud you didn't drop her.

"I'm sorry Alex," Maggie says to you the moment she's put a blanket on the grass and had lowered her basket and Kara's bag on it. "I didn't think she'd be so stressed."

You smile softly. Kara's exhausted, yes, but it's not Maggie's fault. One, you forgot to tell Maggie Kara's afraid of cars and two, you can't really tell her that your baby sister is wearing a Kryptonite dampener that tires her badly. "Don't sweat it, Sawyer," you tell her. "Kara's strong, I'm sure she just wanted to prove you she's not a baby."

Maggie grimaces as she helps you lower yourself so Kara can keep cuddled in your arms. The little blonde stirs for a moment, before settling against your chest, her one hand never releasing your gemstone and her other firmly tucked between your bodies. "That's it," she tells you quietly, sitting close enough to you that your thighs are touching. "She shouldn't have to prove herself to me. If anything, _I_ should be the one trying to get her like me."

"You don't need to."

"But I want to," she says, earnest. "She's amazing, Alex. Everything you've told me about her is so, so…" she trails off. "She's so strong and the way you love her… I've known you for months, Alex, and you're pretty amazing yourself, and for you to love her so completely, even when she's not your blood… it blows my mind. She needs to be pretty special for you, a special woman, to love her so much even I can feel it."

Your smile widens and you can feel tears pooling in your eyes. Maggie has proven to be the sweetest girlfriend you've ever had. So far, she hasn't only be mindful of your crazy hours and many responsibilities, but she also has been so aware of Kara since the moment she drove you to Susan's to pick up you frantic sister. She's mindful and she always ask you about your sister, truly concerned about her, truly wanting to know her tastes, her hobbies, her life.

No one, not even Vicky Donahue, your longest lasting girlfriend, had taken to Kara so quickly, so heartfelt. Vicky had known about Kara since she arrived at your house, but instead of liking her like you did, like Maggie does, she resented her when you started choosing your sister over your girlfriend.

Maggie, on the other hand, had not only accepted when you had to reschedule around Kara's needs, but she had insisted constantly on meeting her. She seemed truly moved when you explained to her why Kara needs you now more than ever and your weariness of dating someone when the most important person in your life is a ten years old. She also renewed her efforts in courting you, finally knowing why you kept telling her no and she's been surprising you ever since with the little things she does.

Like texting you ten minutes after Kara's out of school, just to know if she had a good day. Or calling you at nine thirty-five, when she knows you've just finished reading to your little girl and you can give all your attention to her without having to worry about work, school or Kara. She meets you at the gym at five, your usual workout time, with apples and water, because she knows you'll run back home around seven to wake Kara up and make sure she's headed to school before you go to your lab and work like crazy before you too have to attend classes.

She texts you through the day, even when she's at the Academy and phones are banned, just to know if you remembered eating breakfast, lunch; if you remembered to pick up the laundry, because you once confessed that you and Kara had to wear last day clothes due you forgetting for days to pick it up; if your date is still on, because she heard that night was going to rain and she didn't want for Kara to face the thunders without you.

She's perfect and you can't help but beam at her and tell her. "You, Maggie Sawyer, are the most amazing person I've ever met."

She blushes and rolls her eyes. "Danvers," she tells you with a high pitch to her voice, embarrassed. "Don't go soft on me."

You chuckle and manage to pull her by her shirt, kissing her softly once she's close enough. "How can I not? When you're the softie here?"

You both are surprised to hear a small gagging sound coming from the 'sleeping' blonde. "You two are gross," Kara informs you as she nuzzles your neck.

You poke her ribs, making her squeal. "Good morning, sunshine," you tease her. "Ready to grace us with your brightness?"

Kara pouts as she pushes away from you, scrambling to be far away from your torturing fingers, all the way to the other side of the blanket. "I'm ready to eat," she tells you sulkily, as she looks at the box of doughnuts. "I'm hungry."

Maggie laughs at her antics, before she clamps her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her amusement. And you can't blame her. Kara had somehow gotten a cowlick look to her and her sleepy eyes and pout make for a really cute picture. That you both can hear her stomach rumble makes it even more aw-inducing. "Sorry," your girlfriend says. "We can eat whenever you want. I have some potstickers form Yuan's," she informs your sister. "I heard someone loves those."

Kara beams at her, before turning to you with a serious look on her face. "You can go now," she tells you. "Maggie and I can keep this date going without your help."

Its Maggie's turn to beam as your mouth opens in shock. In that moment you realize Kara was never asleep and she heard everything Maggie said about her. In that moment you realize Maggie is going to fit amazingly in your lives. In that moment you realize you couldn't be happier.

In that moment you realize this is the beginning of your future.

XxXxX

You watch your girlfriend play with your sister as you pretend to read your book and your heart melts.

You've never been an outdoor girl, even when you work out often. Your parents may had make you a little lab mouse, but they had always put special emphasis in your health, making you do at least one physical activity and the only one you learnt to love was surfing. It allowed you to be near your experiments back home, let you cool down in those hot days and shut your parents up. Now, due your new life and responsibilities, you just go to the gym to work out enough to be fit and able to take care of Kara.

Maggie, though, you know it's much like Kara. Both enjoy to be out and about and both were team players. Kara loves to be part of her school's swim team (it being one of the few things she can do without accidently using her powers) and Maggie is part of the Academy's softball team. You haven't gotten the chance to see her play yet but you plan on changing that as soon as the season start.

So, you haven't really gotten around to play with Kara in a park like she's doing with Maggie right now.

Maggie is teaching your sister how to throw the Frisbee she asked you to get and Kara's brow is wrinkled in concentration, making the pair adorable. Maggie is on her knees, making her just a little shorter than Kara, and your sister is keeping track of the disk as Maggie motion with it, showing her the best way to throw it.

"Okay, Sunshine," Maggie says as she gets up from the grass. "It's time to make this thing fly."

Kara fidgets as she plays with her bracelet. "What if I hit you?" she asks.

Maggie puffs her chest, proudly. "I'm the best in my class," she declares confidently. "If I can beat twenty plus wanna-be police officers, I can take a flying disk." Kara smiles a little at that and waits for Maggie to jog down a couple of yards down the spacious field. "Okay, kid," your girlfriend says, "let it go!"

Kara follows the steps Maggie had shown her and let the disk fly. It keeps in the air for a couple of seconds, before it flops to the ground, not even reaching the halfway mark between Kara and Maggie. Kara grimaces and looks at it miserably.

Maggie jogs to fetch the disk in her way to reach Kara. "Don't worry," she tells her kindly as she goes to stand beside her. "You did amazing. You just need to apply a little more force behind it. Like this," she lets the Frisbee go and you watch how the disk reaches a pretty high altitude before landing around four yards away. "See?" she asks. "You did everything right, it just needs a little punch and it'll be fine."

Kara then looks at you, scared, as Maggie goes for the disk and you know something is bothering your girl. It's been an hour or so since you finished having lunch and since then Kara and Maggie had played around with a soccer ball before taking the Frisbee out and Kara had not had trouble keeping up with Maggie, but something about the disk is making Kara anxious and it's time to interfere.

"Maggie," you call your girlfriend the moment she's near enough to hear you. "I think it's time for some ice-cream. Could you go fetch us some?"

Maggie looks at you, then at Kara and you can see her frown just a little bit. "Sure," she tells you as she looks at you again. "I'll be back in ten minutes, tops," she says as she hands the disk to Kara and jog away to places unknown.

"Kara," you call your baby sister when Maggie's far away enough and you're not surprised when she runs to you and dive into your lap, ditching the Frisbee and knocking your book to the side. " _What's wrong?"_

Kara shakes into your arms as she clutches you weakly. " _My arm hurts,"_ she says with a sob to her mouth. " _The disk's too heavy,"_ she tells you and you can feel panic start to rise in your chest.

You take her left hand, her dominant, the one with the dampener on it, and notice how her wrist is red and a little swollen. "Where's the box?" you ask your sister, whose eyes start to water.

"Backpack," she tells you, brokenly.

You nod and start undoing the clasp before Kara's suddenly snatching her arm back and scooting away from you. "No!" she yells at you.

You stare at her, startled. What on Earth was wrong with Kara? You shake your head and reach for your sister, but she moves away.

"No!" she yells at you again. "Don't!"

"Kara!" you snap at her, your voice sharp and cold. It's a tone you hate using, because it always makes Kara cry and it makes you feel like your mother. All full of authority and exasperation, with no hint of warmth and kindness. And, just like always, your sister starts sobbing. "Come here," you tell her firmly.

Kara shakes her head. "No," she chocks out. "I don't wanna hurt her."

And then you feel like the worst person on Earth. Because your little sister is having an amazing time with your girlfriend, but she's hurting and she wants to keep hurting so she can play with Maggie.

So Maggie can be with her without being hurt by the little Kryptonian and her powers.

And you snapped at her and she doesn't deserve that.

" _Kara,"_ you sigh, getting close to her, kneeling besides her. " _Nothing matters more than you being okay. You can try and play with Maggie any other time. We can come back. But, right now, you are sick and you need to lay in the sun for a little bit. Understood?"_ you tell her softly, resting a hand on her back. " _I'm sorry I yelled, but you need to take it off."_

Kara sobs as she launches at you, embracing your neck. _"I don't wanna hurt her."_

You hold her, one hand on the back of her neck and the other around her tiny waist. " _You won't. Right now you're not playing anything until you soak in the sun a little bit. After that, you can decide if you can try it again, okay?"_

Kara nods, bringing her wrist to you and, finally, letting you undo the clasp. With her still on your lap, you reach in to her backpack and take the box out, quickly placing the bracelet in it. The change in Kara is immediate. Her posture relaxes and breath catches as her tears continue in earnest. " _I'm sorry,"_ she tells you.

You shake your head, and, in the back of your mind you wonder if Kara's mannerisms are a carbon copy of you or if it's the other way around. You certainly shake and nod as often as she does. " _I'm the one who's sorry, baby, I didn't notice you were hurting. It's my job to make sure you are okay, and I failed."_

 _"_ _I didn't tell you,"_ she sniffs.

" _Still, it's my job, baby girl."_ You kiss the top of her head. " _I'm sorry I yelled."_

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she says in English and you're confused for a second, before you see Maggie walking towards you from the corner of your eye. She's carrying three cones, one vanilla, one strawberry and a huge chocolate one. Your already aching heart pings with how she remembered Kara's favourite is chocolate and yours is strawberry.

"Everything okay?" she asks you both as she reaches you. She passes the huge cone to Kara, who, still crying softly accepts it with a shaky smile.

You accept you own cone. "Thanks," you say as you try and think on how to explain this to Maggie.

Kara take a lick to her cone, before beating you. "I'm sorry," she says to Maggie, sniffling just a little now. "I hurt my wrist at school and I didn't tell Alex," she lies, licking the cone some more, her earnest eyes never leaving Maggie's. "When I tried tossing the Frisbee it hurt again, but I didn't want to tell you 'cause I'm having fun and if Alex knew she'd make us stop and I didn't want that."

You lick your cone when Maggie looks at you. You are a certified liar, both your sister and you are, you have to, if you want to keep Kara's secrets, but lying to Maggie is hard and it makes you feel dirty. It makes you feel even worse that Kara's lying to her. You wonder when you'll be telling her and how you'll do it to avoid hurting her.

The thought of never telling her never crosses your mind.

"I'm sorry," you repeat your sister's sentiment with a sad smile. "But I don't think Frisbee is a good choice right now. Maybe some more soccer, after ice-cream, okay?"

Maggie's eyes on you are searching and it takes all your will power not to flinch. You know she knows you are lying and you fear she will call you on it. But, whatever she sees makes her eyes soften and she turns to Kara. "You should've told us sooner," she gently reprimands. "But I'm glad you told Alex now so you don't hurt your wrist more." She shuffles closer to the girl on your lap and whispers loud enough for you to hear her. "Between you and me, a sore wrist is the worst, no matter how much fun you had hurting it."

You blush bright red as Kara nods determinately at Maggie, and you're not sure if she understood the sex joke. "Maggie," you squeak. "Don't corrupt my baby girl."

Kara is then looking at you oddly. "But I had fun hurting my wrist," she informs you, much to your mortification. "I was dancing and fell on it."

You groan and hide you beet-red face on your sister's hair as Maggie starts laughing earnestly.

"What?" Kara asks, her tone betraying her confusion. "What did I say?"

You groan louder as Maggie laughs louder.

"Alex? Maggie? What did I say?"

And, no matter that you can see how in your near future you'll have a very embarrassing conversation with the ten-years-old, you can't help but feel grateful for the little family that's being built in this moment.

You can't help but feel how Maggie's brightness will help you both overcome your darkest days.

You can't help but feel grateful to Rao for giving you your little sister, whom you adore, and Maggie, who you are starting to love with your entire being.


	5. Babysitting

Okay, thank you all that let me know this chapter and chapter 6 were corrupted. I dunno what happened, but this is the second try.

Also, sorry for the wait :D

* * *

"Yes, Alex," you say for the tenth time in as many minutes, the words making mist leave your mouth in the freezing air. "Don't worry about it. Kara and I will have a good day and we'll be _fine_."

" _But-"_ Alex's voice comes from the other side of the line. You can hear voices that are calling to her and you can't blame them. Alex's supposed to be making sure that one of Gotham U's most expected conferences of the year goes without a hitch and she was wasting time talking to you.

"No," you interrupt her. "I'm outside her school now, darling, and you're all the way across city in the Financial District. Kara's out of school in less than ten minutes and you can't be here by then, so, you'll have to manage," you inform her firmly.

When you first met Alex Danvers, _almost_ Doctor Alex Danvers, what made your heart soar was her beauty. Her long, auburn hair and her bright hazel eyes made your breath catch that first time you saw her across the quad and, when you couldn't stop seeing her everywhere, you started noticing the determination that always was held behind her movements.

She called to you, like the sirens called Ulises and you couldn't help but engage her when it became obvious she too had seen you.

It took you a month to convince her to go on a date with you, and in that month what once was sexual attraction became adoration.

Alex is smart, funny, witty and so, so dedicated to her life that it blew your mind. Once you knew of Kara, many of Alex's actions became clear and you understood why she is so fierce, why she always looks like she's carrying the world on her shoulders.

Kara, like her sister, bears a weight too heavy for her short years, but she too is amazing. You've been meeting your Danvers girls (yes, they are _yours_ ) for a handful of months now. Yes, you have date days and nights with Alex, but your dates with Alex _and_ Kara are becoming more frequent recently and you couldn't be happier about it. Kara, like her sister, has a pull to her that makes you love her like the daughter you never knew you wanted, because, while Alex swears Kara is just her sister, you can see how she is really her daughter and you are starting to feel the same way about the little blonde.

" _Maggie,"_ Alex whines. " _Don't make me feel worse!"_

You chuckle. "Darling, I know it's the first time I'm alone with Kara, but she likes me and, face it, I'm your last resort."

" _No_!" Alex is quick to contradict you. " _No, babe, you're not my last resort, never my last resort… it's just…"_

Your chuckle turns into a little laugh. "Al, I understand. Kara's used to be with Vasquez, I get it. But, she's all the way to Coast City and I offered. As I said, she likes me and I'll make sure she does her homework, eat her dinner, brush her teeth and go to bed not too late. Alex, darling, don't worry. We'll be fine."

And you will. It's not the first time you spend the night at their apartment (that first night was scary because you're not used to sleep with a gorgeous woman with a little kid just a door away) and it's certainly not the first time you've picked Kara up. Yes, it's the first time you'll be doing it on your own, but you think you've done it enough times not to have any trouble.

You hear your girlfriend (it still tickles you that Alex is _your girlfriend_ ) sigh and the voices calling to her get louder. " _Okay, okay,_ " she finally concedes. " _You're right. You're always amazing with her and I shouldn't worry."_

"But you still worry."

" _… yes, yes I do,"_ she confesses. " _Promise me you'll call me if anything, **anything**_ , _happens?"_

"Alexandra Danvers, I swear to you I'll call you the moment something _bad_ happens."

" _Thank you. For doing this. For taking care of Kara."_

You smile, because, how can you not? You care about Alex and you care about Kara. You don't know why that is, but you'll do anything for the two women that you consider family. "Alex, it's my pleasure. Kara's your baby and I love spending time with her. With both of you."

You hear how Alex's breathe hitches and you have to smile sadly at that, because if there's something you'll come to know about Alex Danvers, is that she's not used to many forms of kindness and she always gets emotional when you tell her little true facts. You've know her for less than a year now and you're ready to tell her you love her, but you know she's not ready, she's not there yet and you won't pressure her. You won't pressure neither of your girls.

" _Mags, I-"_ a voice far away interrupts her and she sighs. " _I need to go,"_ she tells you, defeated. " _Please, text me when you're both home?"_

"I will," you tell her. The school bell rings at that moment and you see how the little (and not so little) people start fleeing the prison-like building with glee. It's Friday and you can see even the pre-teens are grateful of the fact. "Kara's almost here and you're needed elsewhere. Take care and don't traumatize many interns, okay?"

Alex chuckles. " _I make no such promise. I'll see you both tonight."_

 _"_ Bye, darling."

" _Bye, babe."_

The call disconnects at that and you pocket your phone easily in your thick jacket just as a bubbly voice calls to you. "Maggie!"

You turn with a grin to your face and you can see the bubbly ten-years-old running towards you, her way too big parka drowning her small form. You know it's a good thing your lecture got cancelled and you didn't have to attend Academy today, because the joyous look Kara has to her tells you you were the best choice for today's babysitting duty.

Alex's been telling you for the last week or so that Kara's been having bad days at school and that her mood has been down at home too. You both, Alex and you, have been busy with finals and projects and Kara has, no doubt, felt the tension too. That, added to whatever is happening at her middle school, has Kara sad and all sulky. But, seeing her now, dodging her classmates to reach you at top speed, gives you joy.

"Hello, sunshine," you tell her as she embraces your middle. "Have a good day?"

Kara looks up at you, still not releasing you and resting her chin on your lower sternum. "No," she tells you honestly, her good mood dampening a little. She smiles, though, when she continues. "But I have a whole weekend to forget about it!"

You smile back at her. "You know Alex's not gonna be home 'till late, right?"

Kara nods at you, solemnly. "Yes," she tells you as she releases you and immediately reach for your hand so you can walk home together. "She's been stressing about the conference for _days_!" she complains in a whiny tone you just heard her sister muster over the phone.

You laugh, because, blood related or not, the Danvers' mannerisms are the same. They both talk with their hands and they communicate via nods and shakes of the head most of the time. They also have the same whiny tone to their voices when they complained and they tend to forget important things if their attention is drawn elsewhere.

Kara is Alex's carbon copy and you couldn't feel more at ease with the littlest Danvers thanks to it.

"Do you know what that means?" you ask Kara as you starts walking towards the girl's apartment.

The little girl shakes her head. "No," she tells you, before brightening. "We're going to the park?" she asks excitedly.

"No, sunshine, sorry," you tell her honestly. If anything you've noticed is that Kara likes running around and that Alex is not so good at playing with her in that regard. So, like the sporty woman you are, you've make sure most of your dates with Kara and Alex allows the little girl to have fun in the sun chasing a ball or learning new sports. "One, your sister wants a text as soon as I get you home, and two, it's too cold for us to go to the park today."

Kara pouts. "But I'm not cold," she whines again.

You snort at her wounded face. "Sorry, baby," you start swinging your clasped hands. "But, that's a no. What I meant, is, as Alex's away, we can order pizza _and_ potstickers."

Kara beams at you, an incredulous look to her. "You mean both? At the same time?!" her voice brakes at the last question, excitement evident to her features.

You know Alex always have apples and assorted fruit at her apartment at all times, and you also know that she cooks as healthy as she can for both her sister and her, but you also know that pizza or potsticker nights are an often occurrence in their household. You also know that Alex has the standing rule of never feeding her baby sister both at the same time, something about the little blonde not knowing her limits and once making herself sick at mixing that much food. So, of course Kara would be amazed she's going to have both tonight.

"I won't tell if you don't," you tell her gently.

Kara stops walking, just outside her building, and looks at you the same way Alex does when she's being completely serious and honest. "You secrets are safe with me."

And you laugh, long and hard, because that's exactly what Alex would have said.

XxXxX

So, maybe you cheated a little in this babysitting Kara thing.

You chose the living room as your base of operations. The TV is on and Kara is currently curled up to your side as she watches The Buzz on Maggie. Her stomach is a little puffed and you grimace when you remembered the girl eating two whole pies of pizza and at least two dozen potstickers, but you know she'll be fine.

You know Kara's special, and not in the romantic sense of the word (even if she is), but rather than, greater-than-human special, but you haven't brought it up with Alex yet. It's the little things that she and Alex do that made you aware of it, still make you aware of it.

Like how Kara's all full and content and actually hovering an inch over the sofa while all her attention is on the pink haired fly.

You're form a little town in Nebraska so when it came to choose where to study, you knew it had to either be Ivy League or a place where you could learn what actually matters to you. Gotham University, while not Ivy League, has enough prestige and offered the courses you were most interest it: alien and supernatural studies.

Ever since you were a teen and was visiting your best friend at Metropolis and you saw how amazing Superman was up close, you had to study exactly what made aliens different than humans and why the police in Metropolis relayed so much in the Man of Steel. It became an obsession to you, even when you best friend and her family were so against your interests.

You dedicated your life from then to study every little article you could manage and when the choice to pick a school came up, GU was your first choice. That the city's Police Academy was one of the finest just sweetened the deal for you.

Over the lasts years that you've spend in the city, you've come to know several individuals that could not really be labelled as humans and you've got to be friends with some of them. You know not all those that are non-human are bad, but you also know their lives depend on secrecy.

You don't hold it against Alex for not telling you Kara's not 'normal', you understand, but you are weary of when she'll tell you. Or rather, _if_ she'll tell you.

Either way, you're making the little non-human happy at the moment.

You know Alex didn't want to buy her any kind of video games, something along the lines that Kara can be obsessed with them and she's too young to waste her life in front the TV, so you've brought your old Xbox and a couple of your milder games. You spent most the early evening racing and shooting each other between pizza slices and potstickers brakes and Kara was good enough not to throw a tantrum when you told her it was time to unwind and just watch some TV.

The landline starts ringing, interrupting your thoughts, and Kara's up in a second, her speed a little too fast to be considered human. You frown because you've been texting Alex on and off all evening and, as far as you're aware, Alex is now in the middle of the main lecture and she can't be calling you. And, if she were, she'd call your phone, not the landline.

You are about to ask Kara not to answer when her eyes light with recognition and she picks it up before it can ring a second time. "Clark!" she says exited into the phone.

You can't hear what the other person, this _Clark_ , is saying, but you can see how it's mostly a one sided conversation, with Kara saying little 'oh's', 'okay's' and 'no, I understand,'s'. The phone call lasts maybe two minutes and by the time the girl lowers the handset her mood is dark and heavy.

"Kara," you call to her as you go stand by her still form in the hallway. "Is everything okay?" you ask her.

She startles, as if she had forgotten you were there. "Yes," she says, strained. "Everything is _great._ "

You kneel besides her, making sure she's looking at your eyes. "Please, Kara, I need to know if I should call Alex."

The girl shakes her head and you can see how her blue eyes are starting to water a little. "No," she tells you, softly, brokenly. "I- I can tell her in the morning. It's- It's nothing bad, just…" she trails off, avoiding your gaze, looking past where the TV is still on. "It's just some disappointing news," she finally settles on, a small tear making her way down her cheek.

You want to hug her, but something tells you that maybe it's not the time. Right now, the little girl is doing everything in her power to be composed and look like nothing's happening. "Okay," you tell her as you got up. You look at the clock that hangs in the wall and notice that her bedtime it's approaching. "It's bath time, sunshine. Do you want bubbles?"

Kara looks up at you and she nods. She goes to her room as you head to the bathroom to prepare her bath. As you wait for the tub to fill, you send a quick text to Alex:

' _Clark called. She's upset. Should I worry?'_

Your phone buzzes as you put in the bubbles:

' _Bastard. He surely cancelled.'_

You're confused for a moment, but Alex follows her text with:

 _'Clark's her cousin. She was spending next weekend w him. He's pushed it back twice now.'_

Understanding dawns on you. You've heard of the cousin that was too young to care for the little girl when her parents died (not that Alex wasn't at the time), and you haven't really heard good things about him. He lives in Metropolis and was going to be married soon. Apparently the future wife liked Kara enough to have her visit sporadically, but the cousin, her blood relative, was not too thrilled about it.

Your phone buzzes again, twice in a row:

 _'She's sad and might close up.'_

 _'Sorry the night didn't go as planned.'_

You can almost feel the regret behind that last message and it makes you blood boil. Alex, and Kara to some extent, has the tendency to apologize for every little thing that doesn't go as planned and it saddens and angers you that they had, somehow, learnt to be that way because someone must have made them too guilty too often. You're about to text her back to let her know that it's okay and that she shouldn't apologize when you notice Kara's in the doorway, clean pyjamas in her arms and ready to bath.

"Will you be fine on your own?" you ask the girl, who has red eyes and not-quite-dry tear tracks on her cheeks.

Kara nods.

"Okay," you tell her as you turn off the water. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes, is that enough time?"

Kara nods again and starts to tug her shirt off.

You sigh and leave the bathroom to start cleaning up the living room.

Alex was right. Kara's closing up.

XxXxX

It doesn't surprise you that Kara makes a beeline for Alex's room the moment her teeth are brushed and you had put her silken hair in a loose braid. It doesn't surprised you that the girl has climbed into the queen size bed and tunnelled under the covers, hugging one of Alex's many pillows to her chest.

What surprises you, is when Kara's baby-blue eyes fix on you, pleading. "I don't wanna be alone," she tells you in a tiny voice.

You smile at her. "Gimme a moment." You wait until she's nodded and you quickly steal one of Alex's baggy t-shirts and a pair of boxers, running to the bathroom to quickly wash your face and teeth, changing in less than a minute and back to your girlfriend's room before Kara can feel abandoned.

You go to her and, after turning off the lights and making sure the hallway light is on for when Alex comes home, climb into bed with her. Kara acts quickly and cuddles into your side, hiding her face against chest. "Wanna talk about it?" you ask her as you pull an arm around her slim shoulders and turn to face her.

Kara trembles a little, but moves so she can speak and you can understand her. "Alex hates Clark," she tells you softly. "She says he's an ass." She nuzzles the soft t-shirt you're wearing with her nose, something you've seen her do when Alex is hugging her.

"Is she right?"

"He's family, but he forgets that."

"He hurts you," you state plainly. "That's why Alex doesn't like him."

Kara sniffles. "Yes. He does," she says as she starts crying softly. "Why doesn't he like me?" she asks you and your heart breaks for this kid.

"Sometimes, people are too engrossed in their lives and they forget there're other people to care for." It's the only thing you can tell her. "Sometimes they love us, but they take us for granted."

Kara looks up to you, searching your face from behind her tears and for a moment you feel naked. "Someone forgot they love you too?" she asks, all innocence and empathy.

And it's your time to shudder, because Kara is hitting too close to home and Kara's not the best person to be having this kind of conversation. "Yeah, sunshine," you admit. "I know how that feels."

And Kara surprises you again when her little arms are thrown around you and she's hugging you fiercely, almost too fiercely it hurts. "Don't worry," she says. "Alex and I love you. Alex's love is the best and she says mine is amazing." She sits for a little bit and kisses your cheek, before resuming her hugging. "We got you."

And you chuckle wetly. Because this ball of honest to God sunshine brightens even the darkest hour. Kara is special yes, and not only in her non-human condition.

"Good," you say. "'Cause I love you both too."

XxXxX

You wake up when you feel the bed dip. You're ready to spring up and fight when you notice there's a slight weight pressing on your chest. You look down and notice that Kara's decided to use your whole body as her mattress. The girl is light and her head falls and rises as your chest does, her thumb firmly in her mouth and your hand is resting on her back, making sure she doesn't fall off and for a moment you forget that something woke you.

That's it, until that something speaks.

"Can you breathe?" Alex asks you softly form where she's sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at how you both seem so at ease with each other. Her eyes are tired, but soft. She's already taken out her contacts and she's wearing her bookish glasses. She's also changed and is now in the pants that match the t-shirt you're wearing and a tank top. She must have turned the heater up, because you can't feel the chill that was there when you cuddled to Kara.

"Yeah," you whisper back. "She's not heavy."

She nods as she climbs into bed, rearranging the covers you must have kicked of your body. Now that you notice it, it's pretty hot in the room.

"Turn down the heat?" you ask her before she can get too comfortable.

Alex smiles at you and instead of getting up, she starts fluffing her pillow. "The heater is off," she says. "You're hot 'cause Kara's a furnace."

You nod, 'cause, of course, the little non-human is hotter than average. "Cool," you say, and your brain is still asleep because the next thing you say is totally moronic and simply idiotic. "What else can she do? Besides floating and heating us up?"

Alex freezes as she looks down to you. There's panic in her eyes and you feel like shite for blurting that up. You were supposed to wait until Alex is ready for you to know. "How…?" she ask you, still processing.

You shrug, or at least you do as much as Kara's weight on you allows it. "She was floating earlier," you confess now that the cat's out the bag.

Alex nods, as she inches closer to you. She contemplates Kara's peaceful face for a moment. "She does that when she's really happy," she makes her own confession. She looks at you again. "It doesn't bother you?" she asks, full of trepidation.

"No," you tell her honestly. "I knew something was different the moment I met her, but I also knew you were hiding it for her protection. I understand."

"I'm sorry, I-" Alex is going to apologize when Kara starts stirring.

Her blue eyes open a little and gaze at Alex. "'ama," she says around her thumb as she reaches with her free hand for your girlfriend. "'ama."

Alex smiles sadly as she transfers the sleepy kid to her arms. She lays the girl in between your bodies, letting her nuzzle her breast as she whispers to her something in a language that's musical and soft, crisp and warm, but that you can't understand.

Kara buries onto her sister but her free hand goes behind her, reaching for you. You oblige and turn so you can face your two girls, letting Kara grab part of your t-shirt as you lay a hand on Alex's hip, sandwiching Kara in between the two of you. The little girl sighs deeply, before wiggling so her back is pressed to your stomach and her face is still on Alex's chest. She sighs again before settling, leaving Alex and you almost as close as you'd lay if Kara wasn't in the bed with you.

"Alex," you whisper to her when it's obvious Kara's already knocked out. "I understand. You don't need to apologize."

"I was going to tell you," she murmurs as she looks down to Kara, her fingers tracing her brows. "Next weekend. I was planning to tell you over dinner. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

And you feel a weight you didn't know you were carrying lift. Because Alex has been planning on telling you. Because Alex has never considered keeping on with the lie. Alex trust you with Kara's secret and that's something you know you need to cherish.

"Don't be," you tell her, your hand moving from her hip to her cheek, caressing it gently. "I understand, darling. I do."

And Alex closes her eyes and exhale what seems a repressed sob. "Oh, Rao," she whispers. "I love you so much."

And you reach gently over Kara to press a kiss to Alex's lips. She responds in kind and lets you feel how much she means her words.

And you settle back to you spot, spooning Kara. "Good," you echo your words from before. "'Cause I love you too."


	6. Lost

Again, let's try this for the second time.

* * *

You're going to kill her.

Slowly.

And not in the good way.

You're going to tie her up, kill her and dispose of the body in one of the many ways you've learnt over the years.

Being a certified genius has its advantages.

"I'm so sorry," she tells you for the fifth time as you both walk down the corridor, searching.

You sigh, because yes, you want to kill someone, but that someone it's not your girlfriend, who's looking at you with a little fear behind her eyes.

Oh, no. Who you're killing is your little sister.

Going to the mall is always a hustle. Kara can either be overwhelmed by the lights, people and music, or she can be over excited by the lights, people and music. It's always a coin toss with her and you had warned Maggie of that the moment she asked you both to accompany her to get some baby shower gift for one of her instructors at the Academy.

You told Maggie that, and you were about to suggest that you went with her and leave Kara with Susan when the little alien (having heard with her super hearing) had practically materialised to your side and begged Maggie to take her with you.

Ever since Maggie is aware that Kara's an alien and that Superman is her cousin (a discussion that broke Maggie's heart), Kara has been using her powers with more abandon in front of Maggie and your girlfriend, much to her credit, accommodated her. Like that one time Kara got so excited when you allowed Maggie to leave her Xbox at your apartment that she started floating in the living room. Maggie had taken her foot then and lowered her to the ground before showing her which games she bought just for her. Or that one time you went grocery shopping and forgot the ice-cream in Maggie's car and Kara used her freezing breath to save it. Or that other time when you were bringing in Kara's new bed and both Maggie and you were struggling and Kara, after making sure no-one was looking, carried the frame all by herself.

Maggie was comfortable with your alien sister and her antics, but nothing had prepared her to what was a hyper Kara in a mall as big as Wayne Mall. The mall, following its builder reputation, was grandiose, busy beyond measure and stupidly big.

And Kara had, of course, felt overexcited at her first visit to the largest mall this side of the continent.

That Maggie had promised ice-cream and sweets for over five different stores maybe hadn't help.

"It's not your fault," you tell her honestly as you peek into one of the many toy stores, because it wasn't.

Kara was with you when she went missing.

"Yeah, but I was the one to ask you to come here."

You shake your head, stopping as Maggie goes into a kid's clothes store to ask about your girl. "And I was the one holding her hand," you remind her when she's back, Kara-less. "It's not your fault. It's not mine. It's Kara's. She knows I hate it when she does this."

Maggie looks at you with a small smirk. "Not the first time she goes missing?"

"Oh, hell, no," you tell her as you two continue your hunt. You're not worried she's missing, per se. She's not wearing her dampener and you know she knows where you are, so if she runs into trouble she's able to find you easily. It's more that you hate it when she disappears because she tends to do things no ten-year-old should be able to do. Like out eating men trice her size in pie-eating contests.

She did that when she was seven and you lost her at Midvale's annual fair.

You don't want a repeat of that.

"Care to share?" Maggie asks, more relaxed as she can no doubt see you're just annoyed, not truly concerned.

"Not at the moment, no." You return her smirk, because, at least Maggie has already gotten her gift and she had put it away in her car as Kara and you window shopped while you waited for her. Of course, that was when Kara decided to play Houdini. But, at least, you don't have to focus in anything else than looking for your wayward child.

Maggie smiles at you, showing off her cute dimples. "Any idea, then, of where she might be?"

And you sigh, because, frankly, for all you know she's not even inside the building anymore.

XxXxX

You are on your third lap around the second floor of the mall when a small voice yells out. By this point you're not really looking for Kara anymore, you're just walking around and asking if anyone, by any chance, has seen the girl. "Mama! Mom!"

You and Maggie both freeze, because you both know that voice. And, sure enough, when you turn to one of the first places you're already looked in, you can see a security guard holding the back of a sheepish looking Kara's neck. Kara's white t-shirt is mostly black, her jeans are ripped at the knee, she has a stuffed toy under her arm that you're certain doesn't belong to her, and her face is covered in what you know by experience is chocolate ice-cream. You look at the store name and, yes, Kara was busted at Häagen-Dazs.

You and Maggie share a look and you both decide that neither of you are going to play good cop to her.

You walk towards the overpriced ice-cream store, Maggie close to your heels. You are really annoyed and Kara visibly deflates when she gets a good look at you face.

"Mama? Mom?" she asks, suddenly weary.

"This yours?" the guard asks, grunting and shaking Kara a little.

And maybe you're annoyed at the little blonde, but no one treats your baby girl like that. "Yes," you snap at him as you reach for your sister, making the man let go of her.

Kara cuddles at your side, trembling just a little bit. She hates it when you are angry and she loathes it when you start snapping at people. She once told you it reminds her of thunder and thunder usually reminds her of what little she can recalls of Krypton's death. You hate you become snappish when angry, but dammit, not only Kara was missing for the better part of the evening, the damn man was treating your baby like scum and that just make you so, so angry.

Maggie is the one that breaks the little stare down you engage with the guard. "Sir," she addresses him, shorlty. "What happened?"

You suppress a smirk, because Maggie is using her police voice and that makes the man uncomfortable. "The manager said she was eating all the chocolate ice-cream and refused to leave."

"I paid for it," Kara said sulkily from your side, making all three set of adult eyes zone on her. "I did," she defended herself. You pinch the bridge of nose. Of course she paid for it. Problem was, where on Earth she has gotten the money from.

"May we speak with the manager?" Maggie asks when it's obvious the man wants to call Kara on it. The guard looks at the three of you with distrust. "I'll go in with you while my partner here have some words with our kid." Maggie's voice is practically oozing command and the man spares a fleeting look at you, before grudgingly guiding your girlfriend inside the store.

Once they are far away enough, you turn to Kara. "Maggie's taking the Xbox back tonight," you inform her, seriously. "And you're not going to Dave's party this Friday."

Kara's eyes widen and her lips starts trembling. "What? Why?!"

"Really, Kara? You need to ask?"

"I paid for the ice-cream!"

XxXxX

Kara is sitting miserably next to Maggie when you return after taking care of the bill her mischief has caused you.

Turns out, Kara has made a name for herself in the short amount of time she was missing. Not only she ate Häagen-Dazs out all their chocolate ice-cream, she did so with three other ice-cream shops and apparently the guard had catch her because the stores started to emit an alert regarding the small blonde. As soon as she put foot in the last ice-cream shop, the manager had called security and they had caught her just before she was able to run away.

Because, yes, she's been paying… with toy money.

And, the cherry on the top, she has also made a mess in one of the pet stores, 'freeing' the dogs and cats (and apparently getting extremely dirty in the process) and she had 'liberated' one of the toys at Build-A-Bear.

It's just a blessing you're still cashing the royalties of your parent's patents, because, between feeding Kara and paying for what she just did, you'd be poorer than a bum.

And, really, at this point you're not only annoyed she left your side, you're truly pissed she thought she was so clever as to con the stores. She's your sister, she's Kryptonian, she's damn intelligent and she has made a really dumb move.

A really dumb move you could expect from any other kid, but not Kara, who knows better than to attract attention to herself

Kara, who knows how to be well behaved and sweet but chooses not to be when she wants to 'have fun'.

Kara, who is currently looking at you with such a wounded expression you wonder if she's feeling remorse or if she's acting. And, if she is, you wonder where on Earth she learnt to be that good of an actress.

Oh, yes, she learnt it from you.

"Alex?" Maggie asks you as soon as she sees you. They are both waiting in the food court and you see that Maggie has bought a big bottle of water for Kara, who you know from experience is going to crash soon after that much sugar. "Everything fixed?"

"Yeah. Let's go home," you said tiredly, rubbing your temples. Right now, you just want to sleep your headache off and you can't punish Kara right now, because you're too angry and you don't really trust yourself not to hurt her.

"Mama?" Kara ask you and, yeah, maybe she might have use that title when she was with the guard, but you're alone now and Kara only tries to call you that when she's worried, scared or anxious… or too sleepy to sensor herself. Given that her thumb is caressing her lower lip and her eyes are suddenly dropping, you can only guess she's all of the above.

You sit next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm too mad right now, Kara," you tell her. "We'll talk in the morning."

She looks up at you with watery eyes as she nods. You can tell she wasn't acting and that she is now feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Mama," she says earnestly as she leans on you. "I didn't think."

You sigh. "No, you didn't."

"C'mon, you two," Maggie tells you, as she rises form her seat, pulling Kara towards herself and carrying her one-armed. "Let's get you home."

You rise and lace you hand with Maggie's free one. You're not even home and you don't want her to leave. "Stay?" you ask her softly as she guides you to her car.

Maggie smiles. "Always."

XxXxX

It's only after you're done scolding Kara the next morning that you and Maggie notice two things:

One, Kara didn't complained about the almost hour long drive to and from the mall (in fact, neither of you adults thought it could be an issue in the first place).

And, two, neither of you thought to correct Kara that she called Maggie 'Mom'.


	7. Lullaby

As an apology for the mess that were chapters 5 and 6, here, have chapter 7:

* * *

The tiny knock at the door startles you awake. The week has been horrible and the only thing you had wanted was to cuddle up you lover and sleep until noon the next day. Given the three of you have a free day the next day just played into your plans marvellously. Being woken at four in the morning, however, did not.

It's strange, getting used to put clothes after sex when, for as long as you've been out and proud, you're used to pass out as naked as you were born. But, having Kara a door away – you're glad Alex explained to you Kara's room is lined with lead once you learnt about her super hearing – chances her wanting in the room at any given hour and you both need to be dressed for that.

Just like she is doing right now.

Alex is still snoring softly besides you, not having heard Kara's knocking, so it's up to you to get up and meet the little girl.

"Hey, sunshine," you tell her as soon as the door is open and you shouldn't have been surprised when she instantly collides with your middle, quiet sobs echoing easily in the early morning. "Hey, hey," you tell her as you pick her up. "What's the matter?"

"Lexie," she whimpers, pitifully.

You nod. Over the months you've come to know how Kara refers to Alex is a tale-tell of how she's feeling.

In everyday settings, she refers to your girlfriend as Alex. When she's in trouble with third parties, when she's sleepy and when she's worried Alex is mad at her, she calls her Mama. When she wants to annoy her or wants to be listened, she usually yells Alexandra. But when she's recently woken from a nightmare, she always call her Lexie.

Alex once said it was because that was how Kara fist referred to her, way back when she was a toddler. And, apparently, Kara's coping mechanisms always regressed her a little.

"Oh, sunshine," you coo as you carry her towards the bed. You let her cling to you as you lay down, one hand holding her firmly and the other going to Alex, caressing her cheek softly. "Alex, love," you tell her gently. "Wake up."

Your girlfriend stirs just enough to open an accusatory eye at you. Whatever complain she was going to muster dies on her lips as she looks at your arms and she the slightly trembling girl. "Oh, baby," she unknowingly coos as you did not a minute ago. "C'mere," she gently orders the girl.

Kara transfer easily into her sister's arms but one of her hands keeps a firm grip on your tank top. "Lexie. Mama," she whimpers as her sobs intensify.

"Shh, baby, shh," Alex hushes her softly. " _I'm here. You're safe. We're safe."_

Amidst Kara's sobs and how your heart aches for her, you are proud you can understand what Alex murmurs to Kara in Kryptonian. With two fluent speakers helping you, it didn't take you long to learn and now you can speak with them in short sentences, even if both your girls say you carry an odd accent to the language. " _Shh, sunshine,"_ you hush her too, as you slid closer to them, so you can spoon Kara completely and Alex can hug her front easily. " _We're here."_

Kara trembles fiercely once, twice, thrice, before going suddenly limp. When she first did that and you were around, you freaked out because it scared you shitless how she immediately can turn boneless. Kara had been the one to explain you that, by allowing herself to be totally relaxed, she allows Alex to take care of her completely. It's something she learnt to do when she was a small kid and ever since, it had helped her calm down quicker.

You'd be surprised a ten year old is so aware of her feelings and what calms her or triggers her, but then you look at who her sister is and you remember that Alex is the most analytic person you know. So, of course Kara knows how to calm herself as best as she can and she knows that Alex is the one she can go to when things get too much.

You wait the day when Kara will go to you as she does Alex with held breath.

Kara lays there, her sobbing slowly calming as she starts to hiccup sporadically.

" _Want to talk about it?"_ Alex asks her when is obvious Kara is not falling asleep as she usually does after one of her nightmares.

" _You were gone,_ " she says soft, almost too soft for you to hear her. " _I couldn't find you."_

 _"_ _Oh, Kara,"_ Alex sighs. " _I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."_

Kara shakes her head. " _We were underwater and I couldn't find you or Mom,"_ a sob escapes her and suddenly she's hysterical again _._

Your heart breaks at how the title she's given you on a handful of occasions is now used without thinking, and at how she's suddenly even worse than when you opened the door for her. " _Kara, Kara,"_ you call to her, because Alex is looking lost and somehow you know you can make them feel better. " _Look at me, sunshine,"_ you gently ask her.

Kara turns in Alex's arms, obeying you without second thought and settling back against your girlfriend, girlfriend who's looking at you with so much love your breath almost hitches.

" _Good girl,"_ you tell her honestly. Taking her small hand in yours, you put her over your chest, right over your heart. "I need you to close your eyes and listen, Kara. Listen to my heart. Feel it. _"_

And, even when she's trembling and her breath is failing her and you _know_ she's starting to panic, she obeys. She closes her eyes and you can see how her brown crinkles in concentration. You deepen your breathing, making it slower than usual and tying to match your heart to it.

" _Good girl,"_ you prise her again. You look to Alex, before your focus returns to Kara. "Can you try and hear Mama's heart too? Can you feel her breathing?"

Kara nods and you see how she's trying to match your breathing, how she presses closer to Alex, how she's, slowly, too slowly, calming down. But, it's not enough.

Before you can think of anything else to do before the panic attack starts to build again, a sweet, melodic voice starts singing softly to both of you.

"Hön'marën kena-uva kala, indönya ullumeá," Alex starts, a gently, yet powerful, melody leaving her mouth. "Nör'ande sëra mi lorien, îm'eri ratö naya."

You look mesmerized as your girlfriend transforms before your eyes. It's not something physical, but it's something that has happened before, if slightly, when you hear her speak Kryptonian. Somehow, speaking, and now singing, the language makes her frail, delicate. Makes her even more beautiful.

"Larya nîn mëlissè, le sinte îma sinomë. Ána sama lemî oloorë," she continues as she let her hand go rest on Kara's chest, between both your chests. "Le ar'uunèr ana kaurë."

"Uur'anor wannëa." Kara surprises you when she's the one to sing, her voice a little broken, the next part of the song. "Isilme va'arya."

"Telume siila tere, na'are utumno wanya," Alex continues, and you don't even try to understand what they are singing, you just listen to them.

"Erüma, helkàda," Kara's voice is soft, almost as if she's caressing the words. "Raanè ressè. Lörna à'kuilä."

"Vàrna mi'olör," Alex sighs, the musical tilt barely there. "Türma ei ràumo."

"Sinomë," they two of them finish together and you can't be surprised when you notice that both their eyes are closed and Kara's breathing is even and she has a small smile in her face.

She's not asleep, yet, but she's completely calm.

" _Mama?"_

 _"_ _Yes, baby?"_

 _"_ _I love you."_

You see as a small tear escapes from behind Alex's eyelid. " _I love you too."_

 _"_ _Mom?"_

Your breath hitches then, because Kara only calls you that to be a brat, to be the little shit she can sometimes be. But now she's calm, she's almost asleep. " _Sunshine?"_

 _"_ _I love you, too."_

You smile, because right here, right now, the two owners of your heart have shown, again, how amazing they are. " _And I love you."_

With a sigh better suited for a heart broken grownup, Kara settles and falls asleep in your arms.

And you notice that Alex is not asleep, but you know her enough to know she's not going to talk to you right now. She's mulling over something and you can only guess what it is.

So, you close your eyes and focus on Kara's small, warm, form. You focus on her even breathing and how her chest presses to your own.

Alex will talk to you when she's ready and not before.

And you'll wait for her.

But right now, you're going to sleep and think on how you actually feel at having Kara call you Mom.

* * *

You don't know this about me, but I'm obsessed with lullabies. Every single one of my stories have a lullaby somewhere, somehow. It's like, a theme I choose to set the individuality of each story, no mater the fandom.

~ Also, headcanon that Kryptonian sounds vaguely like elvish, musical and sharp ~

So, I present you:

Forest Eleves - Lullaby From a Distant Land; found here:

watch?v=zFp9qGtqrbw

Lyrics (and translation):

my heart shall see light  
hön'marën kena-uva kala

our hearts shall be forever  
indönya ullumeá

go forth, rest in dreamland  
nör'ande sëra mi lorien

i'll soon be there  
îm'eri ratö naya

Wait for me my love  
larya nîn mëlissè

You know I'm here  
le sinte îma sinomë

To join you in dreams  
ána sama lemî oloorë

You have nothing to fear  
le ar'uunèr ana kaurë

Fiery sun, begone  
uur'anor wannëa

Moonlight, protect us,  
isilme va'arya

Heaven's star, shine through,  
telume siila tere

Flame of hell, vanish  
na'are utumno wanya

Lonely voice, cold and bare  
erüma, helkàda

Wandering alone,  
raanè ressè

Asleep, yet awake  
lörna à'kuilä

Safe in dreams  
Vàrna mi'olör

Shelter from the storm  
türma ei ràumo

Here  
Sinomë


End file.
